Making my own 20 KW Genset

[The Fred]

Wow not one single comment about your boiler.

Years ago a friend asked me what the 3 main parts to a wood stove are. I commented that I really didn't know, then he said they are the lifter, leg, and poker; how I laughed.

Good luck with your project it looks like fun.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Wow not one single comment about your boiler.

I am not sure too many guys saw the boiler anyway!

 

[D2Cat]

Your 55 HP rating on the Perkins 4108 might be a bit optimistic.

I bought an older Bobcat skidsteer that had that engine in it. The head was cracked and I had a tough time even locating one. They were use in the US in Gehl skidsteer, some Bobcat skidsteers, but mostly used in sail boats. Around here finding a sail boat large enough to need an engine .....isn't. Good that you found the parts you needed. Trying to import the engine is now impossible because it does not meet EPA requirements.

Anyways, all the info I found indicated the HP in the 38HP range, obviously determined by RPM. Their history says they usually last a long time, and known as oil leakers. Those reefer engines are a breed of their own! Take good care of it, and have fun with your project.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Your 55 HP rating on the Perkins 4108 might be a bit optimistic.

I bought an older Bobcat skidsteer that had that engine in it. The head was cracked and I had a tough time even locating one. They were use in the US in Gehl skidsteer, some Bobcat skidsteers, but mostly used in sail boats. Around here finding a sail boat large enough to need an engine .....isn't. Good that you found the parts you needed. Trying to import the engine is now impossible because it does not meet EPA requirements.

Anyways, all the info I found indicated the HP in the 38HP range, obviously determined by RPM. Their history says they usually last a long time, and known as oil leakers. Those reefer engines are a breed of their own! Take good care of it, and have fun with your project.

Maybe...the manual says 55 Brake Horse Power but I have not done the bore and stroke calculations to see what it is. It does kind of suck that this is a high speed engine instead of slow speed (4000 rpm at full power instead of 1800 rpm), but it is what it is, and I got what I got. Not really ideal for a Genset, except that it is designed to go to 30,000 hours.

I started to put the new starter on it today, but I got sidetracked...then cold...so I have not got that completed yet.

The biggest job will be getting the fuel lines figured out. Oh my word, A/N fittings, inverted flare, flare and pipe thread: could there be more variations then that? (LOL). I did find another tank with a fill port, whistle, gauge and legs, so that will save me about $150. I was going to put high legs on the tank so that atmospheric pressure forces the fuel to the engine instead of having to rely on its fuel pump, but if it is an issue, I can change that later. I will remount the fuel filter lower though so that the fuel tank will have to be pretty low before the mechanical fuel pump has to work to get the fuel to the injection pump.

I might also turn it 90 degrees from its orginal position in my shed at my father's suggestion just to make it easier to work on. It will make placing the firewood/coal boiler harder, but I can cross that bridge when I get there.

I got the manual for this engine if you need it as well as the other two engines in this engine series. Just let me know and I will email it to you.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I never figured that my fuel system for my recent generator project would turn out to turn into a bit of a fiasco. I went with a suction pipe going into a farily deep 3 foot tank. Every time I lost my prime. A check valve and dozens of hours later, it may or may not be solved. Doing it again, I would have the fuel coming off the bottom of the tank (with a cock) and going into the Parker filter assembly. At least that way, you can open the vent plug of the filter and see if you get fuel running out there.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I never figured that my fuel system for my recent generator project would turn out to turn into a bit of a fiasco. I went with a suction pipe going into a farily deep 3 foot tank. Every time I lost my prime. A check valve and dozens of hours later, it may or may not be solved. Doing it again, I would have the fuel coming off the bottom of the tank (with a cock) and going into the Parker filter assembly. At least that way, you can open the vent plug of the filter and see if you get fuel running out there.

On mine the biggest problem will be with the return fuel lines. When they removed the reefer engine from the trailer they must have bashed the fuel filter area because some fittings were busted, and some hoses ripped off. But the way they did it, they had the excess fuel return coming off the injection pump, and the injector fuel lube, going back into the system at the fuel filter housing.

I could do that, or just send the fuel back to the top of the tank. I would have to make my own port into the top of the tank as all my ports are taken up by the fuel fill, whistle and tank gauge though.

I just wish they went with all one type of fitting. Fuel return is army/navy fittings, fuel inlet is inverted flare, some others are compression fittings, some are pipe thread fittings, and some are traditional flare.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I did get the coal/firewood boiler moved however, then spun the genset 90 degrees so it sits in my generator shed better.

I could not get my tank behind my generator like I wanted it too, so it is turned 90 degrees to the generator, but I think there is enough room from it to the engine to mount the generator head, and its drive shaft.

Then I went down to my father's house and grabbed the tank fill, whistle, tank gauge, legs and tank shut off valve off another old tank we had kicking around, so that saved me quite a bit of money. The only thing I need now is the plastic cap that goes on over the gauge plunger since it was busted off.

I also got the start circuit and starter to work, but one battery is not going to cut it on this high compression engine, so I will have to add a second battery in parallel to get it to turn over the engine fully. But the starter worked, and the "new" starter circuit that was robbed from another single/3 phase generator I had kicking around. So there was some significant progress yesterday.

 

[Smokeydog]

Fatal flaw in your engineering math. Mechanical energy doesn’t magically become heat energy. Loss from conversion is high.
While using the waste heat from the engine will work you will not have the btus you calculated. You are only recovering the btus from your engine cooling system.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My fuel system used a combination of press-on fuel line fittings made with US hose, JIC and NPT. Trouble with the press-on fittings is that they are on there for good. Looks clean and OEM but No good for troubleshooting. And the JIC fittings are supposed to be suitable for fuel applications, but in a suction application??? Also a small cock at the top of the suction tube was giving me doubt for lossing prime. Definitely would have gone with a low mounted gravity fed port if doing it again. NPT is crude, but you can depend on it given some thread seal and a six foot pipe on the wrench!

Certainly, the fuel return from injectors to the top of the tank was the least of my problems.

 

[electrycmonk]

I am not sure too many guys saw the boiler anyway!

I thought it would of been in bad form to comment. Even to compliment.... I assumed it was akin to attractive WWII aircraft nose art and left it at that out of respect......

Am I wrong for having this point of reference?